


the other side of the breeze

by cara1317



Series: spring equinox [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Graduation, M/M, Remix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 02:47:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11304141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cara1317/pseuds/cara1317
Summary: For Hajime, some things never change: Tooru's stubbornness, how winter turns to spring, and the way his heart races when the sun shines just right on brown hair and browner eyes.Iwaizumi's POV forpast the spring equinox





	the other side of the breeze

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my gosh I realized that my timeline is soooo off because _Spring High takes place after graduation shoooooooooot_ but let’s ignore that and pretend that it already happened because I already wrote it in the first part of this series? *sweats nervously*
> 
> Anyway, this is Iwaizumi's POV for the first part of _[past the spring equinox](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10646859)_

It’s their last day of school, and Oikawa is nowhere to be found. Metaphorically speaking, though. Iwaizumi knows exactly where to find his troublesome best friend.

He goes to ring the doorbell anyway.

“Sorry, Hajime-kun,” Tooru’s mother apologizes, drying her hands on her apron, “he left early this morning and didn’t even eat his breakfast.”

He bows his head respectfully. “Thank you for telling me. Sorry for the intrusion.”

She shakes her head at him. “I should be the one thanking you,” she laughs, passing him two freshly made onigiri, one for him and one for Tooru. “I’m sure I’ll see them later, but please tell your parents I say congratulations. They should be very proud.”

He smiles and waves goodbye to her, latching the gate behind him when he leaves. It’s time to find Oikawa.

* * *

Usually, he and Oikawa walk to school together. It’s always been like this, him walking to Oikawa’s house where Oikawa will wait for him at the gate -- or Hajime will, really, until Oikawa bursts out the front door in a flurry of homework and half-eaten breakfasts -- so Hajime can tell him his tie is crooked while they walk to morning practice.

There’s no morning practice today, though.

He still can’t get used to it, the feeling of waking up and realizing that the season is over, that there’s no more practice, no Spring High to get ready for. No Nationals in their future.

He sighs, digging his hands into his pockets to hide the way his nails bite into his palms in leftover frustration. The first hints of spring are starting to show, birds returning to nest in the just-turned green of trees and the sun overcoming its cloudy barriers to warm the frost off the ground. He turns left on a sidepath, shoes treading against brick pavement instead of plain concrete, bringing him toward Seijou’s back gardens.

A lone figure stands there, face tilted up to catch the sunshine as it sneaks through the foliage above.

"Iwa-chan, don't you think today is the perfect day for graduating?" 

Iwaizumi slows to a stop, taking a moment to appreciate the drifting scent of freshly cut grass intermingled with the flowers brought in for their graduating ceremony. It’s beyond him why the school insists on having cut flowers delivered for the stage. At this time of year, the cherry trees are just blossoming across the school grounds, the feather-light pink framing every scene with its distinctive petals.

He remembers to reply. "Yeah. It’s perfect."

Tooru spreads his arms wide and spins himself around on one leg, _his bad leg,_ Iwaizumi thinks, and he instinctively reaches out for Tooru to catch him before his knee can give out.

"Ah, I'm so excited for summer. School is out and we're finally free! No more bratty kouhai to worry about, just you and me against the world, huh Iwa-chan?" 

Tooru tumbles into him, taking the opportunity to loop an arm around his shoulders and rub sharp knuckles against the top of his head. 

"Hey, knock it off, Oikawa!" 

He changes course, pushing Tooru's hand away first and shoving him back a step, too, for good measure. The movement is more out of routine than force, and they both know it. It never stops Tooru from complaining about his rude manners, though.

"Aw c'mon, don't be a sourpuss," Tooru says, brushing his coiff back into place, as if his hair is the one being mussed. "We've only got a few hours left until the ceremony and then it'll be summer break!" 

Hajime scoffs, shaking his head. "You're one to talk, moping around here in the back of the school." 

Tooru shrugs, only half-facing him. "I like it here."

It’s something straight out of those cheesy romance shows they watch together when the wind blows through the trees right on cue, lifting stray petals and grass off the pavement and ruffling their blazers. 

"Yeah, you always come here. Or the gardens." 

Tooru hums noncommittally.

"What are you thinking about?"

At his question, Tooru pauses, actually considering the question.

"About... the future, I guess.” He replies slowly, mulling over his words as if unsure. “It'll be strange, being somewhere else other than here." 

A small laugh escapes Hajime’s lips at the unconscious tilt of Tooru’s head. "You always did want to get out of here, though. This town, even this whole prefecture, was always just a little too small for you." 

"Mm. There isn't anything here for me, not really." The wind puffs past them again, tickling at the back of his neck. "Nothing except for you,” Tooru says, and the words tumble out in a rush.

Hajime hums, thinking of what he can say that won’t make Tooru stammer and retract the words, waving his hands in front of an embarrassed expression, or more likely, burst into tears. If Tooru’s already here, not even giving his mother a goodbye in the morning, something is definitely bothering him. He opts for something safe.

"Well, not much else could fit here, what with the size of your ego." Shifting his weight, he bumps his shoulder against Tooru's. 

"Oi!" he starts to protest, turning to look at Hajime with a mock-annoyed expression but quickly dropping it with a huff. He tilts his head to rest on Hajime's shoulder. "I really do mean it, Hajime," he whispers.

"I know,” he says, then, "I needed you here too, you know."

He isn’t sure if Tooru hears his words, but they stay like that for another moment. When Hajime is sure that Tooru has had enough time to collect his thoughts, he straightens up and reaches over to gently tilt Tooru's head off of his shoulder.

"We should get going." 

"Iwa-chan..." 

"C'mon, let's go." 

He starts walking, but stops when he notices the lack of a second set of footsteps echoing his own.

"What's wrong?"

"I..." 

Tooru looks conflicted, his nose crinkling just the slightest bit, fingers tightening around the hem of his sleeves.

"I... I just wanted to say..." He trails off again, takes a breath, then continues, "I know it's the end of the year, and that we're probably going to go to different places, especially if we get magic, or if our types of powers are different, and..." 

Hajime doesn’t know what’s running through Tooru’s mind, but he doesn’t need to know. He walks back to him, reaching out to touch his arm, just above where his sleeve ends, the fabric creased in tiny folds under the force of Tooru’s grip.

"I-- Hajime, I..." 

"Hey, this isn't goodbye, you know?"

Tooru nods once, eyes still closed, then again, faster, as if trying to convince himself that Hajime’s words are real. He opens his eyes, and something in his expression looks so small, so lost, that Hajime’s heart twists. Whatever Tooru is working himself up over, it’s clearly been bothering him for a while.

He thinks back over the past few days, the short smiles and excuses of being tired when Hajime asks if he wants to visit the team, wants to grab lunch with Hanamaki and Matsukawa, wants to talk about something other than movies and college and the future. _He’s probably been thinking of this nonstop since then._

He doesn’t ask what’s wrong, only slides his hand down Tooru's arm to pull his fingers loose from his sleeve. "You'll wrinkle it." 

When Tooru’s expression goes from frustrated to disgruntled, he laughs. "And you're always telling me I'm the brute," he jibes, prodding him in the side for good measure. 

"You are the brute, Iwa-chan!" He makes shooing motions at Hajime's hands. "Don't go poking people! It isn't nice. What would your mother say?" 

"I'd just tell her I learned it from you," he replies. 

"Rude! She wouldn't fall for that at all." 

"Oh, I don't know about that, Oikawa." He grins. "Your mom loves me." 

Tooru pulls a face. "You've been at my house as long as I have, of course she has to put up with you somehow. She's probably immune at this point!" 

Hajime stretches out his arms, aiming for the ticklish spots below Tooru’s ribs, and Tooru jolts backward, just out of reach.

"No, no, don't you--" 

Hajime lunges for him. 

"--dare!" Tooru screams, breaking into a run across the courtyard.

Hajime knows something is up with Tooru, but he'll ask him about it later. For now, it’s enough to see the shine back in Tooru’s eyes.

* * *

Later, when Tooru calls for a truce, they lean against the chain link of the fences surrounding the baseball field, side by side. Hajime breathes in and out, the crisp air filling his lungs the same way Tooru’s laughter does.

They’ll be okay, he thinks to himself. Tooru will be okay.

He turns to look at Tooru, the soft fall of his hair in front of his eyes, the way his smile tilts the corners of his eyes upward to match his lips. He slips the second onigiri from his bag to Tooru’s, tugs at his tie, even as Tooru squawks and straightens his own, and tips his head toward the lawn where the ceremony will take place, an unspoken invitation to officially start the last day of their high school years.

They wave to a few friends and catch up with others, exchanging smiles and lighthearted banter with classmates and teammates alike until the teachers call for them to be seated. With all the pomp and circumstance of graduation rehearsals, he’d have expected it to be longer, or for one of the class representatives to stumble in the footwork as they receive awards on behalf of the class, but it flies by without a hitch.

Suddenly, it’s Tooru crossing the stage. The day he’d been chosen to represent their class, he’d texted Hajime nineteen times, mostly kaomojis and exclamation points. He turned his phone off to stop its buzzing and waited for Tooru to tackle him in the hallways on their way to practice, his excited chatter continuing until he’d finally left Hajime’s house for his own, late that night. Even after Tooru’s countless explanations and their teacher’s brisk lesson on proper graduation etiquette, he still barely understands what half of the ceremony is. All he knows is that this particular role is an honor “reserved for top students of exceptional merit,” Tooru’s voice echoes in his mind.

Tooru, on stage, accepts the diploma and shakes the principal’s hand, his footwork and poise flawless as ever. He turns to look out at the audience, probably looking for his family. He must find them, because he holds the diploma up over his head, displaying it to the thunderous applause of the crowd. A few students let out loud whoops and cheers. Somehow, Tooru’s eyes find him, and he lifts his hands to give him two thumbs up, grinning all the while.

Yahaba gives a speech for their class, thanking them for their hard work and excellent leadership, and then they’re all standing to sing, the song’s final words drowned out by applause from Seijou’s newest graduating class.

He should be shouting with joy the same way his classmates are, or imagining what the future holds at university or when -- if -- his powers come in, but instead, he thinks of Tooru and the way he looked back at the baseball fields, eyes warm in the sunlight and smile this side of radiant. He wonders if magic feels like the tingle in his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave a kudos or comment and feel free to send me a request on Tumblr [@carajay1317](http://carajay1317.tumblr.com) if you have ideas!
> 
> [[ Check out the original piece _[here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10646859)_ for Oikawa's POV ]]


End file.
